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Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Kiwis face job discrimination in Australia...

Kiwis face job discrimination in Australia - Aussies should remember the good days will return.

New Zealanders who have long called Australia home have been facing race discrimination when trying to find work.

While many are long-term residents of Australia, there is growing concern New Zealanders are being overlooked for employment because of their race — with several cases of discrimination recently being launched against companies.

David Faulkner told Stuff.co.nz that while he considers himself Australian he’s not “allowed to be Australian” saying he has been discriminated against when applying for work, and has even struggled to secure credit card insurance.

The 38-year-old recently reached an out-of-court settlement with the Melbourne Fire Brigade after the organisation admitted it breached the Equal Opportunity Act by refusing to accept an application for work from a New Zealand-born, long-term Australian resident. The brigade has since apologised to Mr Faulkner.

Having lived in Australia since he was six, Mr Faulkner says it’s because of a bureaucratic loophole that he has been unable to get the equivalent of permanent residency with many Kiwis stuck in this same situation.

Australia is currently home for almost half a million New Zealanders. A lot of Kiwis want to live in Australia, and make a huge contribution to the Australian economy.